Chapter 311: A Spirit Monkey Leads the Way, Treated Like an Immortal

"A love for good wine and lust are traits shared by all primates."

"Jiao Yanshou's Jiao's Yilin from the Western Han Dynasty states that there was a type of ape in Shuzhong that liked to abduct women and was incredibly lustful."

"Gao You from the Eastern Han Dynasty also wrote in the Huainanzi: 'Orangutans are addicted to wine. Men bait them with it, and they drink until they lose their breath.' It means that a group of orangutans were blocking a valley, running amok, so people fed them wine and knocked them all out."

"There's a traceable history for all of this."

The viewers in the live-stream chat laughed when they heard Ning Fei's words.

Their focus wasn't on the historical allusions, but on his opening sentence.

"All primates love wine and lust? I suspect Temple Master Ning is hinting at something."

"Don't you get it yet? Temple Master Ning is calling us all old perverts."

"Don't talk nonsense, I have no interest in women."

"Whether you're interested in women or not doesn't have much to do with being a pervert."

"Is chatting always this deep nowadays?"

"I admit it. I'm an old pervert."

Ning Fei continued walking forward. At that moment, the viewers noticed a golden snub-nosed monkey suddenly climbing down from a tree up ahead.

"Golden snub-nosed monkeys only come down from trees in front of people they trust. What's going on here?"

While everyone was still confused, someone suddenly exclaimed:

"That's the golden snub-nosed monkey Temple Master Ning saved before!"

"A monkey saved by Temple Master Ning? I'm new here, what happened?"

"Go find the old videos yourself. It was during the time poachers broke in. Temple Master Ning saved a golden snub-nosed monkey that got its leg snapped by a bear trap. Later, it went to the Protection Center to recover before being released back here."

"So that actually happened."

The golden snub-nosed monkey walked toward Ning Fei. Ning Fei recognized it as well, squatted down, and greeted it with a smile.

Seeing its master's expression, Little Dog just stood quietly to the side without making a move.

Ning Fei first checked the monkey's old injury. He found that although there were still some scars on its leg, they were covered by golden fur and couldn't be seen unless he looked closely.

Ning Fei played with the golden snub-nosed monkey for a while. Then, struck by a sudden thought, he asked:

"Do you remember if you guys hoarded fruit anywhere during the winter?"

Hearing Ning Fei's question, the little golden snub-nosed monkey scratched its head, looking utterly confused.

"Like storing food and fruits in a tree hollow and then sealing it up."

Ning Fei explained it again.

The little monkey frantically scratched its ears and cheeks. As if remembering something, it closed its eyes and began to think hard.

Seeing this, the viewers couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

"Good lord, this monkey got bought off by Temple Master Ning just like that."

"Temple Master Ning is a genius, making the monkey lead him to the wine the monkeys brewed."

"The reason Monkey Wine exists is because the monkeys forget about the food they stored in tree hollows. Strictly speaking, if the Monkey Wine isn't found, it has little to do with the monkeys anymore."

"Can this monkey really help him?"

As everyone discussed it, the little golden snub-nosed monkey seemed to remember something. It started dancing around on the ground, chittering excitedly.

"You remember?" Ning Fei's eyes lit up.

The little monkey ran backward, and seeing this, Ning Fei quickly followed.

Behind them, a few other golden snub-nosed monkeys had been secretly watching from the trees. Seeing this scene unfold, they quietly trailed behind as well.

The little monkey would walk a few steps, then stop to think.

It seemed a whole winter had made its memory a bit fuzzy.

However, it continued forward firmly, occasionally jumping into a tree to jog its memory.

Ning Fei quietly and closely followed behind.

Finally, when Ning Fei followed the little monkey to a large tree, the monkey stopped and inexplicably began screeching at the trunk.

Ning Fei laughed and said to the viewers:

"The little monkey says they hid the fruit in this big tree."

"There might actually be Monkey Wine here."

Hearing Ning Fei's words, the viewers were envious again.

"Temple Master Ning's luck is insane. He wants to drink Monkey Wine, and a golden snub-nosed monkey immediately leads the way."

"That's truly the luck of an immortal!"

"Daoism and Buddhism have different teachings, but both speak of karma. Temple Master Ning saving the golden snub-nosed monkey was the cause, and the monkey leading him to find Monkey Wine is the effect. Everything happens for a reason."

"Exactly. Others really can't be jealous of something like this."

"All I can say is that Temple Master Ning is awesome."

Ning Fei told Little Dog to wait below while he executed his Light Kung Fu, leaping straight up into the large tree.

His graceful posture made the eyes of the viewers watching the stream light up.

Ning Fei saw the little golden snub-nosed monkey standing in front of a tree hollow, frantically scratching its ears and cheeks while chittering.

He looked closely and realized that the tree hollow had been sealed completely shut by the monkeys with several thick wooden sticks.

Ning Fei knocked on the tree bark, and a muffled echo sounded from inside.

"It's hollow. This tree hollow is quite large."

Ning Fei chuckled.

"Whether or not there's Monkey Wine inside isn't certain yet."

Saying that, Ning Fei started pulling the wooden sticks out.

At this moment, the other golden snub-nosed monkeys that had hurried over saw Ning Fei's actions, and the memories they had buried away for the winter suddenly rushed back.

They remembered that a few months ago, many of the monkeys had placed their picked wild fruits into that very tree hollow and sealed it up.

However, because they huddled together in groups during the winter and their food supply was sufficient, many of them had completely forgotten about it.

It was only now, watching Ning Fei pull out the sticks, that they finally remembered.

And so, these monkeys hurriedly climbed up the large tree. Standing on the branches above Ning Fei's head, they chittered at him in warning.

One golden snub-nosed monkey even ran off into the distance to alert the rest of its troop.

"I'll just drink a little bit. Besides, if I hadn't come looking for it, this wine would have gone to waste, wouldn't it?"

Ning Fei explained to the monkeys above him. Seeing that they didn't react, he could only continue pulling the sticks out.

The monkeys were very clever. The wooden sticks were only the first layer; inside, there were also wooden boards they had found from who-knows-where, forming two more layers of cover.

Ning Fei pried the boards away. Instantly, an intoxicating aroma of wine hit him right in the face!

"It's Monkey Wine! There's actually Monkey Wine here!"

Ning Fei laughed, speaking with noticeable delight.

The drone broadcasted the scene before him, increasing its focal length so the lens could capture the sight inside the tree hollow.

The viewers saw a slightly dark red, translucent liquid rippling inside the tree hollow.

Among the tens of millions of trees in the vast mountains, inside the tree hollow of this single tree, there was an entire cache of hundred-fruit wine brewed by monkeys.

Sometimes, nature was just that magical.

Ning Fei had brought tools to extract the wine with him. He pulled a wooden ladle from his sleeve, then took off the Spirit Treasure Gourd at his waist, ready to fill it up.

As the scent of the Monkey Wine spread, the golden snub-nosed monkeys surrounding him all revealed intoxicated expressions.

They tilted their heads back and twitched their noses, as if wanting to breathe in a few more lungfuls of the fresh alcoholic aroma.

However, with Ning Fei blocking the opening, they had no way to get closer.

"I've really found a treasure."

Ning Fei said to the viewers in the live-stream room.

"Monkey Wine is at its best during the initial fermentation process. What gradually drips down is the essence of the hundred fruits after they ferment."

"The first drops are known as Hundred-Fruit Liquid, and when gathered together, it's called Hundred-Fruit Brew."

"Only when no more juice drips, and all the collected fermented juice carries the scent of alcohol, can it truly be called Monkey Wine."

"And this entire tree hollow is full of Monkey Wine!"

While filling the Spirit Treasure Gourd with wine, Ning Fei took the opportunity to drink a ladleful himself.

The taste was cool and refreshing. The fermented aromas of various fruits mixed together, carrying a hint of alcohol that left a slightly numbing sensation in the mouth and body.

Medicinal Herb Merchant: "So badass! Only Temple Master Ning could manage to find Monkey Wine out in the wild and drink it so freely!"

"I've lived for most of my life, but I've never tasted real Monkey Wine."

"That stuff is a treasure that truly couldn't be traded for its weight in gold!"

Ning Fei drank two ladles, filled the Spirit Treasure Gourd, and satisfyingly gave up his spot at the hollow.

As soon as he climbed down from the tree, the golden snub-nosed monkeys immediately swarmed over.

And it wasn't just those few monkeys. Right at that moment, the monkey that had gone to deliver the news arrived with the rest of the troop.

Smelling the aroma of the Monkey Wine, the dozens of monkeys charged excitedly toward the tree hollow, acting as if they had taken aphrodisiacs.

After all, a top-tier fine vintage like Monkey Wine was more than enough to drive a troop of monkeys crazy.